[am-fi-tree-uh
n] 
| the husband of the virtuous Alcmene, whom Zeus seduced by assuming the form of Amphitryon, resulting in the birth of Hercules. |
| Am·phit·ry·on (ām-fĭt'rē-ən) n. Greek Mythology A king of Thebes and the husband of Alcmene. |
Amphitryon
in Greek mythology, son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns. Having accidentally killed his uncle Electryon, king of Mycenae, Amphitryon fled with Alcmene, Electryon's daughter, to Thebes, where he was cleansed from the guilt by Creon, his maternal uncle, king of Thebes. Alcmene refused to consummate her marriage with Amphitryon until he had avenged the death of her brothers, all of whom except one had fallen in battle against the Taphians and Teleboans. Creon offered his help if Amphitryon would rid him of an uncatchable vixen. Amphitryon borrowed Cephalus' invincible Cretan hound Laelaps, and Zeus changed both Laelaps and the vixen to stone. The Taphians and Teleboans, however, remained invincible until Comaetho, the king's daughter, out of love for Amphitryon, cut off her father's golden hair, the possession of which rendered him immortal. On Amphitryon's return to Thebes he married Alcmene.
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